ShortsTV Announces the 16th Annual Oscar-nominated Short Films Theatrical Releases

Press release: ShortsTV, the first and only global channel and network dedicated to short films, announced today the 16th annual Oscar-nominated Short Films theatrical releases. Spanning the categories of Live Action, Animation and Documentary, the short films, listed below, will be available globally starting April 2, 2021.

The program will be available in over 200 screens across 50+ theatrical markets including New York and Los Angeles and due to theaters being directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, through virtual cinematic releases with a portion of proceeds benefiting the local theaters that are unable to be open during the release. To learn more about the participating theaters (in-person and virtually) and how to purchase tickets, please visit https://tickets.oscar-shorts.com/. This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the short film nominees in theaters before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

“Last year’s Oscar-nominated Short Films were some of the last great movies many of our audiences saw in theatres before the pandemic. Now, as we emerge from this challenging time, we are thrilled to bring the joy of great cinema to our global audiences through the beloved Oscar-nominated Short Films releases, which will be available to audiences everywhere in a few short weeks,” said ShortsTV CEO and Founder Carter Pilcher. “This year’s films are breathtaking and compelling – our audiences are gonna love ‘em!”

The program will also be available on VOD via iTunes, Amazon, Verizon, Google Play beginning April 20.

Coinciding with the theatrical and virtual releases, ShortsTV also launched “The ShortsTV Podcast – Award Season” and is releasing episodes weekly leading up to the awards ceremony. Guests include Academy members, industry insiders, this year’s nominees, previous winners and more. The podcast is currently available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

Nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards were announced on March 15, 2021. For more information, please visit http://shorts.tv/theoscarshorts/.

Please find the complete list of this year’s nominated short films below:

ANIMATED SHORT FILM NOMINEES

BURROW

Director: Madeline Sharafian

Synopsis: A young rabbit embarks on a journey to dig the burrow of her dreams, despite not having a clue what she’s doing. Rather than reveal to her neighbors her imperfections, she digs herself deeper and deeper into trouble.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 6 minutes

Language: Non-Dialogue

GENIUS LOCI

Director: Adrien Merigeau

Synopsis: One night, Reine, a young loner, sees among the urban chaos a moving oneness that seems alive, like some sort of guide.

Country of Origin: France

TRT: 16 minutes

Language: French

IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU

Director: Michael Govier, Will McCormack

Synopsis: In the aftermath of tragedy, two grieving parents journey through an emotional void as they mourn the loss of a child.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 12 minutes

Language: English

OPERA

Director: Erick Oh

Synopsis: “Opera” is a massive 8K size animation installation project which portrays our society and history, which is filled with beauty and absurdity. Erick enables viewers to experience the range of in-depth emotions through this epic reflection of human life.

Country of Origin: USA/South Korea

TRT: 9 minutes

Language: Non-Dialogue 

YES-PEOPLE

Director: Gísli Darri Halldórsson

Synopsis: One morning, an eclectic mix of people face the everyday battle – such as work, school and dish-washing. As the day progresses, their relationships are tested and ultimately their capacity to cope.

Country of Origin: Iceland

TRT: 8 minutes

Language: Icelandic

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM NOMINEES

FEELING THROUGH

Director: Doug Roland

Synopsis: A late-night encounter on a New York City street leads to a profound connection between a teen in need and a DeafBlind man.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 19 minutes

Language: English 

THE LETTER ROOM

Director: Elvira Lind

Synopsis: “The Letter Room” is a dark prison comedy about the secret life of a correctional officer who gets transferred to a job in the letter room, where a new world suddenly opens to him ways to find solace and spirituality afterwards.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 33 minutes

Language: English 

THE PRESENT

Director: Farah Nabulsi

Synopsis: On his wedding anniversary, Yusef and his young daughter set out in the West Bank to buy his wife a gift. Between soldiers, segregated roads and checkpoints, how easy would it be to go shopping?

Country of Origin: Palestine

TRT: 25 minutes

Language: Arabic/English  

TWO DISTANT STRANGERS

Director: Travon Free, Martin Desmond Roe

Synopsis: In “Two Distant Strangers,” cartoonist Carter James’ repeated attempts to get home to his dog are thwarted by a recurring deadly encounter that forces him to relive the same awful day over and over again. Starring Joey Bada$$, Andrew Howard and Zaria Simone.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 29 minutes

Language: English 

WHITE EYE

Director: Tomer Shushan

Synopsis: A man finds his stolen bicycle, which now belongs to a stranger. While attempting to retrieve it, he struggles to remain human.

Country of Origin: Israel

TRT: 21 minutes

Language: Hebrew 

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM NOMINEES

COLETTE

Director: Anthony Giacchino

Synopsis: On the anniversary of the start of the Nuremberg trials, 90-year-old Colette Marin-Catherine confronts her past by visiting the Nazi concentration camp in Germany where her brother was killed. As a young girl, she had been a member of the French resistance and had always refused to set foot in Germany. That changes when a young history student named Lucie enters her life. Prepared to reopen old wounds and revisit the terrors of that time, Marin-Catherine offers important lessons

Country of Origin: France/Germany/USA

TRT: 24 minutes

Language: French 

A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION

Director: Kris Bowers, Ben Proudfoot

Synopsis: A virtuoso jazz pianist and film composer tracks his family’s lineage through his 91-year-old grandfather from Jim Crow Florida to the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 13 minutes

Language: English  

DO NOT SPLIT

Director: Anders Hammer

Synopsis: The story of the 2019 Hong Kong protests, told through a series of demonstrations by local protestors that escalate into conflict when highly armed police appear on the scene.

Country of Origin: USA/Norway

TRT: 20 minutes

Language: English/Cantonese/Mandarin

HUNGER WARD

Director: Skye Fitzgerald

Synopsis: Filmed from inside two of the most active therapeutic feeding centers in Yemen, HUNGER WARD documents two women health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. The film provides an unflinching portrait of Dr. Aida Alsadeeq and Nurse Mekkia Mahdi as they try to save the lives of hunger-stricken children within a population on the brink of famine.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 40 minutes

Language: Arabic, English  

A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA

Director: Sophia Nahli Allison

Synopsis: The injustice surrounding the shooting death of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins at a South Central Los Angeles store became a flashpoint for the city’s 1992 civil uprising. As the Black community expressed its profound pain in the streets, Latasha’s friends and family privately mourned the loss of a vibrant child whose full story was never in the headlines. Nearly three decades later, director Sophia Nahli Allison removes Latasha from the context of her death to craft a dreamlike portrait of a promising life lost, demonstrating the impact one brief but brilliant life can have.

Country of Origin: USA

TRT: 19 minutes

Language: English  

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